Altenreh
The Kingdom of Altenreh is one of the two major nations in Eitera. Ruled currently by The Crown Prince from the Mountain Throne in Greymont, the kingdom is currently in a period of rapid militarization. History In the early days of the land, there were numerous small kingdoms, tribal territories, and city-states. Over time, the two major city-states of K'vaarn (modern Var) and Orstryne (modern Ostarrae) grew in power and holdings, coming to a point where war was inevitable. Cooler heads prevailed, and through long negotiations and compromise, the two city-states merged their territories through numerous marriages and trade deals, thereby creating one unified kingdom from the western coast all the way east to the Black Desert. Shortly after the Kingdom's establishment in 392, the power of the magickers from Var became undeniable, and they soon grew as a formidable political and economic force. In the spring of 401, the hammer finally fell and Var's magickers seized power by capturing and killing the king in Ostarrae and declaring themselves regents over the entire kingdom. The magickers ruled Altenreh through a council of powerful figures. While Var remained the ceremonial seat of their power, the council ordered that a new capital be built to solidify their rule. In 446, the fortress-city of Greymont was completed. Over time, it was determined that a ruling council caused too much conflict between magicker factions, and so it was determined that a single ruler would rise to power in Altenreh, though the control of the military would remain in the hands of a now-weaked council. After a several years of debate, a relatively unknown magicker named Yidris was named as High Magicker in 462; some histories indicate that she rose to power under curious and suspect circumstances. After Yidris' failed conquest of the Southern Reaches in 489, she ordered that the Four Citadels be constructed to protect the kingdom from an impending invasion of horrors from the deep forests. It was an invasion that never came. It was this order that established the major cities of Altenreh into the seemingly impenetrable fortresses that exists today, which account largely for Altenreh's commanding position against its enemies. First Encounter with the Wyr This section will describe Altenreh's first experiences with the Wyr (the inhabitants of Agrewyr), and the war that followed. Citizens of Altenreh The vast majority of the inhabitants of the kingdom are human. There are several different ethnic groups within Altenreh that represent the various city-states which long ago combined. Varna The Varna are the ethnic group centered around Var and the southern regions of the kingdom. While hospitable and generally warm to other groups, the Varna people pride themselves on their strength and martial prowess. Once thought of as a powerful and ambitious people obsessed with magicka, most Varna now view magickers with suspicion, due to the history of magickers' rule tending to be dictatorial and brutal. Since Altenreh's first encounter with Agrewyr and the subsequent war between the two, the Varna who comprise much of the military have risen in power. In fact, the Crown Prince is Varna; this newfound influence has made Var one of the most important cities in the kingdom. Soern The Soern people are the most populous of the ethnicities in Altenreh. The historic inhabitants of Ostarrae and Ardrossa, Soern are natural hunters who, especially in the East, roam the wilds tracking the massive beasts which inhabit the land. Soern and Varna have traditionally been reluctant allies, though the two groups have easily integrated over the past few hundred years. It was a band of Soern hunters who first met a group of wyr. Though the initial meeting was peaceful, the Crown Prince soon ordered more hunters into the region to act as scouts and to hunt any wyr found inside kingdom borders. These days, opinions are split among the Soren: many see the wyr as a new kind of beast to be hunted while many others see in the wyr a natural strength that should be respected. Recasna By far the oldest and proudest group of humans in Altenreh, the Recasna are native to the northern coast and the frigid steppes of that region. Known to be great peacekeepers who care only to preserve peace and their independence, Recasna typically can be found serving as negotiators, mediators, and occasionally in the military, though they prefer less violent means of dispute settlement. While they prefer not to live in crowded places such as cities, they agreed to the construction of Greymont as the capital of the kingdom on the condition that only they be permitted to serve as guards for Altenreh's ruler to ensure limited outside influence....or perhaps to cement their own influence.